I'm a trend guy, and I like to decipher moves and what their implications may lead to. We have a couple interesting things happen this week, and I think we are going to see some new wrinkles because of it. Now lets read between the lines:
1) Tyler Murphy was sent to the Practice Squad. I found this move very odd, mostly because Murphy was participating in Special teams, could back up at WR and in a pinch, be an emergency QB. It was also odd that a team rostering 5 WRs and 6 RBs would choose to keep the extra RB when Bell returned and drop Murphy, who had earned a hat on Sunday. Murphy was my choice to cut when Bryant returned in 2 weeks, but him being cut early was a bit odd. The quick answer was Murphy was stashed early in the season on the PS before other teams had a chance to grab him. Dropping a player late on a Wed is also tough for other teams to grab a player, because timing wise, it would mean picking up a player and dropping one of your rostered player after you've spent a full day instituting your game plan. Reading between the lines, the reason to drop Murphy opens up an opportunity for Sammy Coats. He may be performing so well in practices, that the team wants a look at him before Bryant returns in 2 weeks. This trend should mean Sammy should be suited up in his first game as a Steeler on Sunday. Smarter to do it now and see what you have in Coats, before Bryant returns and he's put back on the inactive list.
2) Cortez Allen's knee injury. I was happy to hear that Cortez practiced fully on Wed, and equally disappointed that he was limited yesterday due to knee swelling. The trend here is that his knee is not responding to action, and like last week when he was inactive on game day, I expect the same this week.
3) Since the steelers dropped a WR from the roster to bring back Bell, who will be cut when Bryant returns? The Steelers employ 6 RBs now that Bell has returned. I expect one of them to be inactive on Sunday, and it will probably be Todman. He's the odd man out since Williams and Bell will be competing for carries. When Bryant returns the cut will have to come from the offensive side, and specifically from the glut of RBs on the roster. I know many are calling for Archer's head, but he's too versatile to cut now (KR1, PR2, WR5, RB?). His value is not evident in the warmer months, but as kick returning becomes an option in Nov/Dec/Jan, he can show his value. This leaves only 2 options to cut when Bryant returns: Todman or Nix. I don't understand the need for 2 FBs, and I also don't understand the need for 4 HBs, so something has to give, and it will be one of these 2 players. Watch and see the snaps they receive in the next 2 weeks, because it will determine which one stays, and which one goes.
4) Cody Wallace. Cody has done a fine job replacing Pouncey these past couple games. It's a great trend since he's only started a handful of games in his career. This week is going to be his biggest test. We're going up against a talented front 4 that is highly athletic. Cody is not Pouncey when it comes to matching athleticism with athleticism. He will be tested early and often. Self scouting dictates that Wallace is the weak link on the line and should be attacked. Look for the Steelers to combo block with him on pass plays, and even for the RBs and TEs to lend a hand to give Ben the time he needs to make plays. Otherwise, Ben may not have a lot of time to open those deep routes he threw so beautifully last week.
5) Will Shazier play this week? Shazier was diagnosed publicly this week with a 'stinger'. A stinger is a nerve contusion to an arm nerve caused by a severe strike to the shoulder/neck area. They usually happen quickly and only last a couple minutes. Rarely do they last days, but they can. I was heartened to hear that they held him out the remainder of the game when he got his stinger on Sunday. Wed he was held out again, I assumed it was to rest him from his monster game so he'd be 100% for Thursday. Thursday came and went, and still no practice. Now I'm concerned. If it's a stinger, then it's a severe stinger. Today is the cut off, if he practices today, this is a moot issue, and I expect him to be 100% on Sunday. If he doesn't practice today, his injury is more serious than a stinger, and we could be talking about nerve damage, or a different shoulder injury. I hate to speculate injury severity, so I'm hoping he practices today.
6) the other injuries and how they trend: McCullers has a knee injury and was held out yesterday since his knee swelled. This is not a good sign, since he's a big man, and puts a lot of work on those knees. I'd expect him to sit on Sunday. Heyward participated partially with an elbow injury. Even if he's a little banged up, I expect Heyward to be playing on Sunday. An Elbow won't keep him out if it's not severe. Wheaton showing up with a chest injury was a surprise, and could lead to some serious changes in the offense if he doesn't play. First off, to get a chest injury, you either have to land on the football after catching it (knocking the wind out of yourself), but that only lasts minutes. The other option is you have to get hit in the chest with a helmet. If the latter happened, I'm hoping it's only a bone bruise. Painful, but not detrimental, which means he would play Sunday. If he's held out of Sunday's game, it now means our WRs would be AB, DHB, and Coats. Archer can fill in as a 4th, but this is now an inexperienced group of receivers if he can't go. If he doesn't go, I expect to see Bell to be split out as a receiver in 2WR and 3WR sets.
1) Tyler Murphy was sent to the Practice Squad. I found this move very odd, mostly because Murphy was participating in Special teams, could back up at WR and in a pinch, be an emergency QB. It was also odd that a team rostering 5 WRs and 6 RBs would choose to keep the extra RB when Bell returned and drop Murphy, who had earned a hat on Sunday. Murphy was my choice to cut when Bryant returned in 2 weeks, but him being cut early was a bit odd. The quick answer was Murphy was stashed early in the season on the PS before other teams had a chance to grab him. Dropping a player late on a Wed is also tough for other teams to grab a player, because timing wise, it would mean picking up a player and dropping one of your rostered player after you've spent a full day instituting your game plan. Reading between the lines, the reason to drop Murphy opens up an opportunity for Sammy Coats. He may be performing so well in practices, that the team wants a look at him before Bryant returns in 2 weeks. This trend should mean Sammy should be suited up in his first game as a Steeler on Sunday. Smarter to do it now and see what you have in Coats, before Bryant returns and he's put back on the inactive list.
2) Cortez Allen's knee injury. I was happy to hear that Cortez practiced fully on Wed, and equally disappointed that he was limited yesterday due to knee swelling. The trend here is that his knee is not responding to action, and like last week when he was inactive on game day, I expect the same this week.
3) Since the steelers dropped a WR from the roster to bring back Bell, who will be cut when Bryant returns? The Steelers employ 6 RBs now that Bell has returned. I expect one of them to be inactive on Sunday, and it will probably be Todman. He's the odd man out since Williams and Bell will be competing for carries. When Bryant returns the cut will have to come from the offensive side, and specifically from the glut of RBs on the roster. I know many are calling for Archer's head, but he's too versatile to cut now (KR1, PR2, WR5, RB?). His value is not evident in the warmer months, but as kick returning becomes an option in Nov/Dec/Jan, he can show his value. This leaves only 2 options to cut when Bryant returns: Todman or Nix. I don't understand the need for 2 FBs, and I also don't understand the need for 4 HBs, so something has to give, and it will be one of these 2 players. Watch and see the snaps they receive in the next 2 weeks, because it will determine which one stays, and which one goes.
4) Cody Wallace. Cody has done a fine job replacing Pouncey these past couple games. It's a great trend since he's only started a handful of games in his career. This week is going to be his biggest test. We're going up against a talented front 4 that is highly athletic. Cody is not Pouncey when it comes to matching athleticism with athleticism. He will be tested early and often. Self scouting dictates that Wallace is the weak link on the line and should be attacked. Look for the Steelers to combo block with him on pass plays, and even for the RBs and TEs to lend a hand to give Ben the time he needs to make plays. Otherwise, Ben may not have a lot of time to open those deep routes he threw so beautifully last week.
5) Will Shazier play this week? Shazier was diagnosed publicly this week with a 'stinger'. A stinger is a nerve contusion to an arm nerve caused by a severe strike to the shoulder/neck area. They usually happen quickly and only last a couple minutes. Rarely do they last days, but they can. I was heartened to hear that they held him out the remainder of the game when he got his stinger on Sunday. Wed he was held out again, I assumed it was to rest him from his monster game so he'd be 100% for Thursday. Thursday came and went, and still no practice. Now I'm concerned. If it's a stinger, then it's a severe stinger. Today is the cut off, if he practices today, this is a moot issue, and I expect him to be 100% on Sunday. If he doesn't practice today, his injury is more serious than a stinger, and we could be talking about nerve damage, or a different shoulder injury. I hate to speculate injury severity, so I'm hoping he practices today.
6) the other injuries and how they trend: McCullers has a knee injury and was held out yesterday since his knee swelled. This is not a good sign, since he's a big man, and puts a lot of work on those knees. I'd expect him to sit on Sunday. Heyward participated partially with an elbow injury. Even if he's a little banged up, I expect Heyward to be playing on Sunday. An Elbow won't keep him out if it's not severe. Wheaton showing up with a chest injury was a surprise, and could lead to some serious changes in the offense if he doesn't play. First off, to get a chest injury, you either have to land on the football after catching it (knocking the wind out of yourself), but that only lasts minutes. The other option is you have to get hit in the chest with a helmet. If the latter happened, I'm hoping it's only a bone bruise. Painful, but not detrimental, which means he would play Sunday. If he's held out of Sunday's game, it now means our WRs would be AB, DHB, and Coats. Archer can fill in as a 4th, but this is now an inexperienced group of receivers if he can't go. If he doesn't go, I expect to see Bell to be split out as a receiver in 2WR and 3WR sets.
